U.S. patent number 11,089,473 [Application Number 16/093,611] was granted by the patent office on 2021-08-10 for service access, and control method and apparatus therefor.
This patent grant is currently assigned to DATANG MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT CO., LTD. The grantee listed for this patent is DATANG MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT CO., LTD. Invention is credited to Jianghai Duan.
United States Patent |
11,089,473 |
Duan |
August 10, 2021 |
Service access, and control method and apparatus therefor
Abstract
Disclosed are service access, and a control method and apparatus
therefor, these being used for controlling the rights of different
UE accessing different services in a local service application
scenario. The service access control method comprises: a local
service access control server receiving a local service access
request message from a UE, wherein an identifier of a local service
is carried in the local service access request message; and the
local service access control server determining whether the UE has
a right to access the local service according to the identifier of
the local service, and sending a corresponding feedback message to
the UE.
Inventors: |
Duan; Jianghai (Beijing,
CN) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
DATANG MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT CO., LTD |
Beijing |
N/A |
CN |
|
|
Assignee: |
DATANG MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS
EQUIPMENT CO., LTD (Beijing, CN)
|
Family
ID: |
60041344 |
Appl.
No.: |
16/093,611 |
Filed: |
February 22, 2017 |
PCT
Filed: |
February 22, 2017 |
PCT No.: |
PCT/CN2017/074423 |
371(c)(1),(2),(4) Date: |
October 12, 2018 |
PCT
Pub. No.: |
WO2017/177767 |
PCT
Pub. Date: |
October 19, 2017 |
Prior Publication Data
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|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20200336911 A1 |
Oct 22, 2020 |
|
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
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Apr 14, 2016 [CN] |
|
|
201610232605.2 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L
63/107 (20130101); H04W 12/06 (20130101); H04L
63/101 (20130101); H04W 12/69 (20210101); H04W
12/086 (20210101) |
Current International
Class: |
H04W
12/06 (20210101); H04L 12/14 (20060101); H04L
29/06 (20060101); H04W 12/69 (20210101); H04W
12/086 (20210101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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1610330 |
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Apr 2005 |
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CN |
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101990204 |
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Mar 2011 |
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CN |
|
103188683 |
|
Jul 2013 |
|
CN |
|
103986769 |
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Aug 2014 |
|
CN |
|
104899518 |
|
Sep 2015 |
|
CN |
|
2509142 |
|
Jun 2014 |
|
GB |
|
Other References
The First Chinese Office Action for Application No. 201610232605.2
dated Jun. 4, 2019, 7 pages. cited by applicant .
PCT International Search Report for PCT Counterpart Application No.
PCT/CN2017/074423, 5 pgs. (including English translation), (dated
May 5, 2017). cited by applicant .
PCT Written Opinion of the International Searching Authority for
PCT Counterpart Application No. PCT/CN2017/074423, 6 pgs. (dated
May 5, 2017). cited by applicant .
The Extended European Search Report for Application No. 17781743.4
dated Apr. 23, 2019, 11 pages. cited by applicant .
Zhang, et al., "Mobile Edge Computing and Field That Results for 5G
Low Latency Scenario," China Communications, Feb. 16, 2016, pp.
174-182, vol. 13, No. 2. cited by applicant.
|
Primary Examiner: Iqbal; Khawar
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A service access control method, comprising: receiving, by a
local service access control server, a local service access request
message of a User Equipment (UE) forwarded by a Mobile Edge
Computing (MEC) server, the local service access request message
carries an identifier of a local service, and the local service
access control server is deployed on an access network side close
to a mobile edge; and determining, by the local service access
control server without a core network, whether the UE has a
privilege to access the local service, according to the identifier
of the local service, and transmitting a corresponding feedback
message to the UE, the determining, by the local service access
control server, whether the UE has a privilege to access the local
service, according to the identifier of the local service
comprises: referring, by the local service access control server,
to preconfigured local service related information to determine
whether a local service server corresponding to the identifier of
the local service needs to control a UE access, and when the local
service server corresponding to the identifier of the local service
does not need to control the UE access, determining, by the local
service access control server, that the UE has a privilege to
access the local service; wherein the method further comprises: in
response to that the local service access request message server
carries an IP address of the local service server, determining, by
the MEC server, whether the UE has passed access control by the
local service access control server, and performing corresponding
processing on the data message transmitted by the UE.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining, by the
local service access control server, whether the UE has a privilege
to access the local service, according to the identifier of the
local service further comprises: when the local service server
corresponding to the identifier of the local service needs to
control the UE access, referring, by the local service access
control server, to a list, of UEs allowed to access the local
service, corresponding to the local service server in the
preconfigured information, and when the identifier of the UE exists
in the list of UEs allowed to access the local service,
determining, by the local service access control server, that the
UE has a privilege to access the local service.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein when it is determined
that the UE has a privilege to access the local service, the
feedback message comprises the IP address of a local service server
corresponding to the local service; when it is determined that the
UE has no privilege to access the local service, the feedback
message comprises information indicating that the UE fails to
request an access of the local service.
4. The method according to claim 1, wherein transmitting, by the
local service access control server, the corresponding feedback
message to the UE comprises: transmitting, by the local service
access control server, the feedback message to an MEC server, so
that the MEC server forwards the feedback message to the UE.
5. A service access control method, comprising: receiving, by a
Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) server, a data message transmitted by a
User Equipment (UE) to access a local service, and obtaining a
destination IP address carried in the request message to access the
local service; and transmitting, by the MEC server, the data
message to a local service access control server upon determining
that the destination IP address is the IP address of the local
service access control server, so that the local service access
control server without a core network determines whether the UE has
a privilege to access the local service by referring to
preconfigured local service related information to determine
whether a local service server corresponding to the identifier of
the local service needs to control a UE access, when the local
service server corresponding to the identifier of the local service
does not need to control the UE access, determining, that the UE
has a privilege to access the local service, the method further
comprises: when the destination IP address carried in the data
message, transmitted by the UE, received by the MEC server is the
IP address of the local service access control server, determining,
by the MEC server, whether the UE has passed access control by the
local service server, and performing corresponding processing on
the data message transmitted by the UE; the local service access
control server is deployed on an access network side close to a
mobile edge.
6. The method according to claim 5, wherein after the MEC server
transmits the data message to the local service access control
server, the method further comprises: receiving, by the MEC server,
a data message transmitted by the local service access control
server to be fed back to the UE; and determining, by the MEC
server, whether the UE has a privilege to access the local service,
according to the data message to be fed back to the UE, and
recording a correspondence relationship between IP address
information of a local service server corresponding to the local
service, and IP address information of the UE, and transmitting the
data message, to be fed back to the UE, to the UE, upon determining
that the UE has a privilege to access the local service.
7. The method according to claim 6, wherein when the UE has a
privilege to access the local service, the data message to be fed
back to the UE comprises the IP address of the local service server
corresponding to the local service; or when the UE has no privilege
to access the local service, the data message to be fed back to the
UE comprises information indicating that the UE fails to request an
access of the local service.
8. The method according to claim 5, wherein when the destination IP
address carried in the data message, transmitted by the UE,
received by the MEC server is the IP address of the local service
access control server, determining, by the MEC server, whether the
UE has passed access control by the local service server, and
performing corresponding processing on the data message transmitted
by the UE comprises: when the destination IP address carried in the
data message, transmitted by the UE, received by the MEC server is
the IP address of the local service access control server,
determining, by the MEC server, whether there is a pre-stored
correspondence relationship between the IP address of the local
service server, and the IP address of the UE, and if there is a
pre-stored correspondence relationship between the IP address of
the local service server, and the IP address of the UE, then
determining that the UE has passed access control by the local
service server, and transmitting the data message, transmitted by
the UE, to the local service server; otherwise, discarding the data
message transmitted by the UE.
9. A service access method, comprising: determining, by a User
Equipment (UE), a local service to be accessed; and transmitting,
by the UE, a local service access request message to a local
service access control server, so that the local service access
control server without a core network determines whether the UE has
a privilege to access the local service by referring to
preconfigured local service related information to determine
whether a local service server corresponding to an identifier of
the local service needs to control a UE access, when the local
service server corresponding to the identifier of the local service
does not need to control the UE access, determining, that the UE
has a privilege to access the local service, the local service
access request message carries the identifier of the local service,
the local service access control server is deployed on an access
network side close to a mobile edge; wherein the transmitting, by
the UE, a local service access request message comprises:
transmitting, by the UE, the local service access request message
to a Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) server, so that the MEC server
determines whether the UE has passed access control by the local
service server, and performs corresponding processing on the data
message transmitted by the UE, when a destination IP address
carried in the local service access request message is an IP
address of the local service server.
10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the local service
access request message further carries an identifier of the UE.
11. The method according to claim 9, wherein after the UE transmits
the local service access request message to the local service
access control server, the method further comprises: receiving a
feedback message transmitted by the local service access control
server; and when the UE has a privilege to access the local
service, the feedback message comprises the IP address of a local
service server corresponding to the local service, when the UE has
no privilege to access the local service, the feedback message
comprises information indicating that the UE fails to request an
access of the local service.
12. The method according to claim 11, further comprises: when the
feedback message received by the UE comprises the IP address of a
local service server corresponding to the local service, accessing,
by the UE, the local service according to the IP address of the
local service server.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This patent application is a U.S. National Phase Application under
35 U.S.C. .sctn. 371 of International Application No.
PCT/CN2017/074423, filed on 22 Feb. 2017, entitled SERVICE ACCESS,
AND CONTROL METHOD AND APPARATUS THEREFOR, which claims the benefit
of Chinese Patent Application No. 201610232605.2, filed with the
Chinese Patent Office on Apr. 14, 2016, and entitled "A service
access method and apparatus, and a service access control method
and apparatus", which was incorporated reference in its
entirety.
FIELD
The present invention relates to the field of communications, and
particularly to a service access method and apparatus, and a
service access control method and apparatus.
BACKGROUND
In the existing network architecture, a service platform is
deployed after a core network. As the concept of a 5G network, and
a demand for a service thereof are proposed, the Mobile Edge
Computing (MEC) technology has emerged in response. With the MEC
technology, the service platform can be deployed proximate to a
mobile edge.
Service servers are categorized into local and remote service
servers dependent upon the position where the service platform is
really deployed, where the local service server is deployed at the
access network side (e.g., the base station side), and the remote
service server is deployed at the core network side, and refers to
a remotely deployed service server. The service server is deployed
locally so that an MEC server can offload a local service, and thus
a User Equipment (UE) can access the local service locally without
referring to any transmission network or core network, thus
reducing a consumed bandwidth of the transmission network,
shortening a service delay, and improving the experience of a
user.
Particularly a plurality of service servers can be deployed locally
to satisfy a variety of service demands. For example, a local
video-on-demand server, an indoor positioning server, an enterprise
multimedia communication server, an enterprise intranet server,
etc., can be deployed. However some service, e.g., a local
video-on-demand, can be provided to all the UEs, whereas some
service, e.g., an enterprise intranet access, can only be provided
to an authorized part of the UEs, in a real application dependent
upon the characteristics of the services to be deployed, so an
access of an UE to a local service shall be restricted. In the
existing solution to offloading a local service, the UEs and the
services cannot be distinguished from each other, so an access to a
local service cannot be restricted.
Furthermore the existing solution to controlling an access to a
remote service may not be applicable to the local application
scenario in that the remote service is generally provided to a
larger number of users in a wider area, so accesses to different
services are controlled separately; and a local service is only
provided to a small number of users in a local area, so an access
entry to a number of services shall be controlled uniformly.
In summary, privileges of different UEs to access different
services cannot be controlled in the prior art in the local service
application scenario.
SUMMARY
Embodiments of the invention provide a service access method and
apparatus, and a service access control method and apparatus so as
to control privileges of different UEs to access different services
in a local service application scenario.
An embodiment of the invention provides a service access control
method including:
receiving, by a local service access control server, a local
service access request message of a UE, wherein the local service
access request message carries an identifier of a local service;
and
determining, by the local service access control server, whether
the UE has a privilege to access the local service, according to
the identifier of the local service, and transmitting a
corresponding feedback message to the UE.
With the method according to the embodiment of the invention, when
a UE requests for accessing a local service, the local service
access control server controls the access of the UE, and further
determines whether the UE has a privilege to access the local
service, and transmits a corresponding feedback message to the UE,
so that privileges of different UEs to access different services
can be controlled to thereby restrict an access to a local service
configured with an access privilege of a UE.
Preferably, receiving, by the local service access control server,
the local service access request message of the UE includes:
receiving, by the local service access control server, the local
service access request message of the UE forwarded by an MEC
server.
Preferably, determining, by the local service access control
server, whether the UE has a privilege to access the local service,
according to the identifier of the local service includes:
referring, by the local service access control server, to
preconfigured local service related information, to determine
whether a local service server corresponding to the identifier of
the local service needs to control an access of any UE; and
when the local service server corresponding to the identifier of
the local service does not need to control an access of any UE,
determining, by the local service access control server, that the
UE has a privilege to access the local service.
Preferably, determining, by the local service access control
server, whether the UE has a privilege to access the local service,
according to the identifier of the local service further
includes:
when the local service server corresponding to the identifier of
the local service needs to control an access of any UE, referring,
by the local service access control server, to a list, of UEs
allowed to access the local service, corresponding to the local
service server in the preconfigured information, and when the
identifier of the UE exists in the list of UEs allowed to access
the local service, determining, by the local service access control
server, that the UE has a privilege to access the local
service.
Preferably, when it is determined that the UE has a privilege to
access the local service, the feedback message includes the IP
address of a local service server corresponding to the local
service;
when it is determined that the UE has no privilege to access the
local service, the feedback message includes information indicating
that the UE fails to request an access of the local service.
Preferably, transmitting, by the local service access control
server, the corresponding feedback message to the UE includes:
transmitting, by the local service access control server, the
feedback message to an MEC server, so that the MEC server forwards
the feedback message to the UE.
An embodiment of the invention provides another service access
control method including:
receiving, by a Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) server, a data message
transmitted by a User Equipment (UE) to access a local service, and
obtaining a destination IP address carried in the request message
to access the local service; and
transmitting, by the MEC server, the data message to a local
service access control server upon determining that the destination
IP address is the IP address of the local service access control
server, so that the local service access control server determines
whether the UE has a privilege to access the local service.
Preferably, after the MEC server transmits the data message to the
local service access control server, the method further
includes:
receiving, by the MEC server, a data message transmitted by the
local service access control server to be fed back to the UE;
and
determining, by the MEC server, whether the UE has a privilege to
access the local service, according to the data message to be fed
back to the UE, and recording a correspondence relationship between
IP address information of a local service server corresponding to
the local service, and IP address information of the UE, and
transmitting the data message, to be fed back to the UE, to the UE,
upon determining that the UE has a privilege to access the local
service.
Preferably, when the UE has a privilege to access the local
service, the data message to be fed back to the UE includes the IP
address of the local service server corresponding to the local
service; or when the UE has no privilege to access the local
service, the data message to be fed back to the UE includes
information indicating that the UE fails to request an access of
the local service.
Preferably, the method further includes:
when the destination IP address carried in the data message,
transmitted by the UE, received by the MEC server is the IP address
of the local service access control server, determining, by the MEC
server, whether the UE has passed access control by the local
service server, and performing corresponding processing on the data
message transmitted by the UE.
Preferably, when the destination IP address carried in the data
message, transmitted by the UE, received by the MEC server is the
IP address of the local service access control server, determining,
by the MEC server, whether the UE has passed access control by the
local service server, and performing corresponding processing on
the data message transmitted by the UE includes:
when the destination IP address carried in the data message,
transmitted by the UE, received by the MEC server is the IP address
of the local service access control server, determining, by the MEC
server, whether there is a pre-stored correspondence relationship
between the IP address of the local service server, and the IP
address of the UE, and if there is a pre-stored correspondence
relationship between the IP address of the local service server,
and the IP address of the UE, then determining that the UE has
passed access control by the local service server, and transmitting
the data message, transmitted by the UE, to the local service
server; otherwise, discarding the data message transmitted by the
UE.
An embodiment of the invention provides a service access method
including:
determining, by a UE, a local service to be accessed; and
transmitting, by the UE, a local service access request message to
a local service access control server, so that the local service
access control server determines whether the UE has a privilege to
access the local service, wherein the local service access request
message carries an identifier of the local service.
Preferably, the local service access request message further
carries the identifier of the UE.
Preferably, transmitting, by the UE, the local service access
request message to the local service access control server
includes:
transmitting, by the UE, the local service access request message
to a Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) server, so that the MEC server
transmits the local service access request message of the UE to the
local service access control server.
Preferably, after the UE transmits the local service access request
message to the local service access control server, the method
further includes: receiving a feedback message transmitted by the
local service access control server; and
when the UE has a privilege to access the local service, the
feedback message includes the IP address of a local service server
corresponding to the local service,
when the UE has no privilege to access the local service, the
feedback message includes information indicating that the UE fails
to request an access of the local service.
Preferably, the method further includes: when the feedback message
received by the UE includes the IP address of a local service
server corresponding to the local service, accessing, by the UE,
the local service according to the IP address of the local service
server.
An embodiment of the invention provides a service access control
apparatus including:
a first receiving unit configured to receive a local service access
request message of a User Equipment (UE), wherein the local service
access request message carries an identifier of a local service;
and
a first determining unit configured to determine whether the UE has
a privilege to access the local service, according to the
identifier of the local service, and to transmit a corresponding
feedback message to the UE.
Preferably, the first receiving unit is configured:
to receive the local service access request message of the UE
forwarded by a Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) server.
Preferably, the first determining unit is configured to determine
whether the UE has a privilege to access the local service,
according to the identifier of the local service by:
referring to preconfigured local service related information, to
determine whether a local service server corresponding to the
identifier of the local service needs to control an access of any
UE; and
when the local service server corresponding to the identifier of
the local service does not need to control an access of any UE,
determining that the UE has a privilege to access the local
service.
Preferably, the first determining unit is configured to determine
whether the UE has a privilege to access the local service,
according to the identifier of the local service by:
when the local service server corresponding to the identifier of
the local service needs to control an access of any UE, referring
to a list, of UEs allowed to access the local service,
corresponding to the local service server in the preconfigured
information, and when the identifier of the UE exists in the list
of UEs allowed to access the local service, determining that the UE
has a privilege to access the local service.
Preferably, when the first determining unit determines that the UE
has a privilege to access the local service, the feedback message
includes the IP address of the local service server corresponding
to the local service;
when the first determining unit determines that the UE has no
privilege to access the local service, the feedback message
includes information indicating that the UE fails to request an
access of the local service.
Preferably, the first determining unit is configured to transmit
the corresponding feedback message to the UE by:
transmitting the feedback message to an MEC server, so that the MEC
server forwards the feedback message to the UE.
An embodiment of the invention provides another service access
control apparatus including:
a second receiving unit configured to receive a data message
transmitted by a User Equipment (UE) to access a local service, and
to obtain a destination IP address carried in the request message
to access the local service; and
a second determining unit configured to transmit the data message
to a local service access control server upon determining that the
destination IP address is the IP address of the local service
access control server, so that the local service access control
server determines whether the UE has a privilege to access the
local service.
Preferably, after the data message is transmitted to the local
service access control server, the second determining unit is
further configured:
to receive a data message transmitted by the local service access
control server to be fed back to the UE; and
to determine whether the UE has a privilege to access the local
service, according to the data message to be fed back to the UE,
and to record a correspondence relationship between IP address
information of a local service server corresponding to the local
service, and IP address information of the UE, and to transmit the
data message, to be fed back to the UE, to the UE, upon determining
that the UE has a privilege to access the local service.
Preferably, when the UE has a privilege to access the local
service, the data message to be fed back to the UE includes the IP
address of the local service server corresponding to the local
service; or when the UE has no privilege to access the local
service, the data message to be fed back to the UE includes
information indicating that the UE fails to request an access of
the local service.
Preferably, the second determining unit is further configured:
when the destination IP address carried in the data message,
transmitted by the UE, received by the second receiving unit is the
IP address of the local service access control server, to determine
whether the UE has passed access control by the local service
server, and to perform corresponding processing on the data message
transmitted by the UE to access the local service.
Preferably, the second determining unit is configured to determine
whether the UE has passed access control by the local service
server, and to perform corresponding processing on the data message
transmitted by the UE by:
determining whether there is a pre-stored correspondence
relationship between the IP address of the local service server,
and the IP address of the UE, and if there is a pre-stored
correspondence relationship between the IP address of the local
service server, and the IP address of the UE, determining that the
UE has passed access control by the local service server, and
transmitting the data message, transmitted by the UE, to the local
service server; otherwise, to discard the data message transmitted
by the UE.
An embodiment of the invention provides a service access apparatus
including:
a first unit configured to determine a local service to be
accessed; and
a second unit configured to transmit a local service access request
message to a local service access control server, so that the local
service access control server determines whether the UE has a
privilege to access the local service, wherein the local service
access request message carries an identifier of the local
service.
Preferably, the local service access request message further
carries the identifier of the UE.
Preferably, the second unit is configured:
to transmit the local service access request message to a Mobile
Edge Computing (MEC) server, so that the MEC server transmits the
local service access request message of the UE to the local service
access control server.
Preferably, after the local service access request message is
transmitted to the local service access control server, the second
unit is further configured to receive a feedback message
transmitted by the local service access control server; and
when the UE has a privilege to access the local service, the
feedback message includes the IP address of a local service server
corresponding to the local service,
when the UE has no privilege to access the local service, the
feedback message includes information indicating that the UE fails
to request an access of the local service.
Preferably, the second unit is further configured:
when the received feedback message includes the IP address of the
local service server corresponding to the local service, to access
the local service according to the IP address of the local service
server.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture, and
service data flows thereof, according to an embodiment of the
invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic flow chart of requesting by a UE for
accessing a local service according to an embodiment of the
invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic flow chart of a service access method
according to an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 4 is a schematic flow chart of a service access control method
according to an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 5 is a schematic flow chart of processing by an MEC server a
local service data message according to an embodiment of the
invention.
FIG. 6 is a schematic flow chart of another service access control
method according to an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a service access
apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a service access
control apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of another service access
control apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
Embodiments of the invention provide a service access method and
apparatus, and a service access control method and apparatus so as
to control privileges of different UEs to access different services
in a local service application scenario.
In order to make the objects, technical solutions, and advantages
of the invention more apparent, the invention will be described
below in further details with reference to the drawings and the
embodiments thereof. It shall be appreciated that the particular
embodiments to be described are merely intended to illustrate the
invention, but not intended to limit the invention thereto.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture, and
service data flows thereof, according to an embodiment of the
invention.
In FIG. 1, an MEC server, an evolved Node B (eNB), a local service
server, and a local service access control server are deployed at
the same network level, i.e., proximate to a mobile edge, and the
MEC server is connected respectively with the eNB, the local
service server, and the local service access control server; and an
Evolved Packet Core (EPC) side includes a Mobility Management
Entity (MME) and a System Architecture Evolution Gateway (SAE-GW),
a remote service server behind the EPC is deployed at a higher
network level (e.g., in a core equipment room), and the MEC server
is connected in series on an S1 interface between the eNB and the
EPC, and connected with the EPC over a transmission network (e.g.,
a PTN network).
Furthermore it shall be noted that the local service access control
server and the MEC server can be really deployed so that they are
arranged together instead of being arranged separately, that is,
the local service access control server and the MEC server are
arranged in the same device.
As denoted in the network architecture, a data flow 1 and a data
flow 2 are local service data flows, and a data flow 3 is a remote
service data flow.
In the network architecture, the local service access control
server is newly arranged to control an access of a UE to a local
service, that is, to determine for a local service configured with
an access privilege of a UE whether a UE requesting for accessing
the local service has a privilege to access the local service, and
if so, to allow the UE to access the local service;
otherwise, to reject the UE for accessing the local service.
The technical solution according to the embodiment of the invention
will be introduced below as a whole.
In the first step, the UE decides to access some local service, and
requests for accessing the local service, at a preset unified
access entry. Particularly the UE transmits a local service access
request message to the MEC server, and the MEC server offloads the
local service, and forwards the local service access request
message of the UE to the local service access control server, where
a destination IP address carried in the local service access
request message by default is the IP address of the local service
access control server, and the local service access request message
further carries the identifier of the local service, and the
identifier of the UE.
For example, the preset unified access entry above can be to start
a local application installed in advance on the UE, and to click on
the local service to be accessed by the requesting UE, and at this
time, the UE requests by default for being connected with the local
service access control server, so that the local service access
control server determines whether the UE has a privilege to access
the local service.
Preferably. the UE obtains the identifier of the local service as
follows:
the UE determines the identifier of the local service according to
a pre-created relationship between the local service, and the
identifier of the local service.
Preferably the UE obtains the identifier of the UE as follows:
the UE obtains the identifier of the UE via an interface between an
application stratum and a non-access stratum, and for example, the
identifier of the UE can be an International Mobile Subscriber
Identity (IMSI), a Mobile Subscriber Integrated Services Digital
Network Number (MSISDN), etc., or of course, it can be other
identification information, although the embodiment of the
invention will not be limited thereto.
Referring to FIG. 2 which is a schematic flow chart of requesting
by the UE for accessing the local service according to an
embodiment of the invention, the flow particularly includes the
following steps:
A. The UE starts the local application installed in advance on the
UE, and clicks the local service to be accessed;
B. The local application of the UE obtains the identifier of the
UE, e.g., an IMSI, an MSISDN, etc., via an interface between an
application stratum and a non-access stratum;
C. The local application of the UE requests by default for being
connected with the IP address of the local service access control
server, and transports the identifier of the UE, and the identifier
of the local service to be accessed; and if they are verified by
the local service access control server, then the flow will proceed
to the step D1; otherwise, the flow will proceed to the step D2;
and
D1. The UE receives address information pushed by the local service
access control server, and is connected automatically with the
address to thereby access the local service, or
D2. The UE receives information transmitted by the local service
access control server that the access to the local service
fails.
In the second step, the MEC server receives the local service
access request message of the UE, and then determines that the
destination IP address in the local service access request message
is the IP address of the local service access control server, so
the MEC server forwards the local service access request message of
the UE to the local service access control server.
In the third step, the local service access control server receives
the local service access request message of the UE, and then
control an access of the UE to the local service. If it is
determined that the UE has a privilege to access the local service,
then it will transmit a feedback message including IP address
information of a local service server corresponding to the local
service to the MEC server, and the MEC server will forward the
feedback message to the UE; or if it is determined that the UE has
no privilege to access the local service, then it will transmit to
the MEC server a feedback message including information that the
request transmitted by the UE to access the local service fails,
and the MEC server will forward the feedback message to the UE.
Particularly, the local service access control server can be
preconfigured with IP address information of respective local
service servers which are deployed locally, and a list of UEs
allowed to access the respective local service servers as depicted
in Table 1. Furthermore the IP address information of the
respective local service servers, and the list of UEs allowed to
access the respective local service servers, configured in the
local service access control server can be configured by an
Operation and Maintenance (OM) entity, for example.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Local service Local service Access cotnrol
List of allowed identifier server address or not UE Local service
Local service server Yes {UE identifier.sub.1, UE identifier.sub.1
IP.sub.1 identifier.sub.2 . . .} Local service Local service server
No identifier.sub.2 IP.sub.2 Local service Local service server Yes
{UE identifier.sub.1, UE identifier.sub.3 IP.sub.3 identifier.sub.2
. . .} Local service Local service server No identifier.sub.4
IP.sub.4 . . . . . . . . . . . .
In this way, the local service access control server can refer to
the preconfigured local service related information (e.g., in Table
1) according to the identifier of the local service carried in the
local service access request message of the UE, and determine
whether the local service server corresponding to the identifier of
the local service needs to control an access of any UE, upon
reception of the local service access request message. If the item
of "Access control or not" corresponding to the local service
server in the preconfigured information is "No", then the local
service access control server will determine that the local service
server does not need to control an access of any UE, that is, the
UE has a privilege to access the local service, so the local
service access control server pushes IP address information of the
local service server corresponding to the local service; and if the
item of "Access control or not" corresponding to the local service
server in the preconfigured information is "Yes", then the local
service access control server will determine that the local service
server needs to control an access of any UE, and further refer to
the list, of UEs allowed to access the local service, corresponding
to the local service server in the preconfigured local service
related information (e.g., in Table 1) according to the identifier
of the UE carried in the local service access request message, and
if the identifier of the UE exists in the list of UEs allowed to
access the local service, then the local service access control
server will determine that the UE has a privilege to access the
local service, so the local service access control server pushes IP
address information of the local service server corresponding to
the local service; otherwise, the local service access control
server will determine that the UE has no privilege to access the
local service, so the local service access control server transmits
the information to the UE that the request for access the local
service fails.
In the fourth step, the MEC server determines whether the UE passes
the access control (that is, whether the UE has a privilege to
access the local service), according to the feedback message,
corresponding to the request message of the UE to access the local
service, transmitted by the local service access control server
upon reception of the feedback message, and if so, then the MEC
server will record a correspondence relationship between the IP
address information of the local service server corresponding to
the local service to be accessed by the UE, and the IP address
information of the UE, and forward the feedback message to the UE;
otherwise, the MEC server will forward the feedback message
directly to the UE without making any record.
In the fifth step, the UE receives the feedback message,
corresponding to the local service access request message of the
UE, transmitted by the local service access control server, and
forwarded by the MEC server, and if the feedback message includes
the IP address of the local service server corresponding to the
local service to be accessed by the requesting UE, then the UE will
access the local service according to the IP address.
Accordingly referring to FIG. 3, a service access method at the UE
side according to an embodiment of the invention includes the
following steps:
S101. A UE determines a local service to be accessed; and
S102. The UE transmits a local service access request message to a
local service access control server, and the local service access
control server determines whether the UE has a privilege to access
the local service, where the local service access request message
carries the identifier of the local service.
Preferably, the local service access request message further
carries the identifier of the UE.
Preferably, the UE transmits the local service access request
message to the local service access control server as follows:
the UE transmits the local service access request message to a
Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) server, and the MEC server transmits
the local service access request message of the UE to the local
service access control server.
Preferably, after the UE transmits the local service access request
message to the local service access control server, the method
further includes: receiving by the UE a feedback message
transmitted by the local service access control server.
When the UE has a privilege to access the local service, the
feedback message includes the IP address of a local service server
corresponding to the local service.
When the UE has no privilege to access the local service, the
feedback message includes the information indicating that the UE
fails to request an access of the local service.
Preferably, when the feedback message received by the UE includes
the IP address of the local service server corresponding to the
local service, the UE accesses the local service according to the
IP address of the local service server.
Referring to FIG. 4, a service access control method at the MEC
server side according to an embodiment of the invention includes
the following steps:
S201. An MEC server receives a data message transmitted by a User
Equipment (UE) to access a local service, and obtains a destination
IP address carried in the data message; and
S202. The MEC server transmits the data message to the local
service access control server upon determining that the destination
IP address is the IP address of the local service access control
server, and the local service access control server determines
whether the UE has a privilege to access the local service.
Preferably, after the MEC server transmits the data message to the
local service access control server, the method further
includes:
the MEC server receives a data message transmitted by the local
service access control server to be fed back to the UE; and
the MEC server determines whether the UE has a privilege to access
the local service, according to the data message to be fed back to
the UE, and records a correspondence relationship between IP
address information of a local service server corresponding to the
local service, and IP address information of the UE, and transmits
the data message, to be fed back to the UE, to the UE, upon
determining that the UE has a privilege to access the local
service.
Preferably, when the UE has a privilege to access the local
service, the data message to be fed back to the UE includes the IP
address of the local service server corresponding to the local
service; or when the UE has no privilege to access the local
service, the data message to be fed back to the UE includes
information indicating that the UE fails to request an access of
the local service.
Preferably, the method further includes:
when the destination IP address carried in the data message,
transmitted by the UE to access the local service, received by the
MEC server is the IP address of the local service access control
server, the MEC server determines whether the UE has passed access
control by the local service server, and performs corresponding
processing on the data message transmitted by the UE to access the
local service.
Stated otherwise, in the embodiment of the invention, the UE to
initially access the local service needs to request for accessing
the local service, at a preset unified access entry (e.g., to start
a local application), where the request carries the IP address of
the local service access control server by default, and if the UE
is verified by the local service access control server (that is,
the UE passes access control of the local service server
corresponding to the local service to be accessed by the requesting
UE), then the local service will be accessible to the UE. At this
time, the MEC server records a correspondence relationship between
the local service server corresponding to the local service to be
accessed by the requesting UE, and the IP address of the UE, that
is, the MEC server records both the IP address of the local service
server, and the IP address of the UE, and create their
correspondence relationship. In this way, if the UE which has
started the local application above accesses the local service
again, or exchanges service data repeatedly with the local service
sever corresponding to the local service, then the UE will carry
the IP address of the local service server corresponding to the
local service directly in the request, and the MEC server will
determine whether the UE has passed access control by the local
service server, and perform corresponding processing on the request
message transmitted by the UE to access the local service.
Preferably, when the destination IP address carried in the data
message, transmitted by the UE to access the local service,
received by the MEC server is the IP address of the local service
access control server, the MEC server determines whether the UE has
passed access control by the local service server, and performs
corresponding processing on the data message transmitted by the UE
to access the local service, as follows:
when the destination IP address carried in the data message,
transmitted by the UE to access the local service, received by the
MEC server is the IP address of the local service access control
server, the MEC server determines whether there is a pre-stored
correspondence relationship between the IP address of the local
service server, and the IP address of the UE, and if there is a
pre-stored correspondence relationship between the IP address of
the local service server, and the IP address of the UE, then the
MEC server will determine that the UE has passed access control by
the local service server, and transmit the data message,
transmitted by the UE to access the local service, to the local
service server; otherwise, the MEC server will discard the data
message transmitted by the UE to access the local service.
As can be apparent from the discussion above about the service
access control method at the MEC server side, the MEC server
generally functions to offload a local service, that is, to forward
data. A general flow of processing by the MEC server a local
service data message will be given below.
Referring to FIG. 5 which is a schematic flow chart of processing
by an MEC server a local service data message according to an
embodiment of the invention, the flow includes the following
steps.
S301. An MEC server determines that a local service data message is
received.
Here, the local service data message can be a local service access
request message transmitted by a UE, or can be a feedback message,
transmitted by a local service access control server, to a local
service access request message, for example.
S302. The MEC server determines whether a destination IP address in
the data message is the IP address of a local service access
control server, and if so, then the flow will proceed to the step
S303; otherwise, the flow will proceed to the step S304.
S303. The MEC server forwards the data message as in the prior
art.
Stated otherwise, the MEC server forwards the service data message
to the local service access control server.
S304. The MEC server determines whether a source IP address in the
data message is the IP address of the local service access control
server, and if so, then the flow will proceed to the step S305;
otherwise, the flow will proceed to the step S308.
Stated otherwise, if the source IP address in the data message is
the IP address of the local service access control server, then the
data message will be a feedback message to be transmitted to the
UE, and if the local service access control server determines that
the UE has a privilege to access some local service, then the
feedback message will include the IP address of a local service
server corresponding to the local service; and if the local service
access control server determines that the UE has no privilege to
access the local service, then the feedback message will include
information indicating that the UE fails to request an access of
the local service.
S305. The MEC server intercepts the data message, and determines
whether the UE passes access control, and if so, then the flow will
proceed to the step S306; otherwise, the flow will proceed to the
step S307.
Here, it is determined whether the UE passes access control, that
is, whether the UE has a privilege to access the local service to
be accessed by the requesting UE, and if so, then it will indicate
that the UE has a privilege to access the local service to be
accessed by the requesting UE; otherwise, it will indicate that the
UE has no privilege to access the local service to be accessed by
the requesting UE.
S306. The MEC server records a correspondence relationship between
the IP address of the local service server corresponding to the
local service to be accessed by the requesting UE, and the IP
address of the UE.
S307. The MEC server forwards the data message as in the prior
art.
Stated otherwise, if it is determined that the UE does not pass
access control, then the data message will be forwarded directly to
the UE without making any record.
S308. The MEC server determines whether the IP address of the UE,
and the IP address of the local service server corresponding to the
local service to be accessed by the requesting UE are stored in a
pre-stored IP address information correspondence relationship
table, and if so, then the flow will proceed to the step S309;
otherwise, the flow will proceed to the step S310.
Stated otherwise, it is determined whether the IP address of the UE
corresponding to the local service server exists in the list of
records.
S309. The MEC server forwards the data message as in the prior
art.
Stated otherwise, the MEC server forwards the local service data
message to the corresponding local service server.
S310. The MEC server discards the local service data message.
Referring to FIG. 6, a service access control method according to
an embodiment of the invention at the local service access control
server side includes the following steps:
S401. A local service access control server receives a local
service access request message of a UE, where the local service
access request message carries the identifier of a local service;
and
S402. The local service access control server determines whether
the UE has a privilege to access the local service, according to
the identifier of the local service, and transmits a corresponding
feedback message to the UE.
Preferably, the local service access control server receives the
local service access request message of the UE as follows:
the local service access control server receives the local service
access request message of the UE forwarded by a Mobile Edge
Computing (MEC) server.
Preferably, the local service access control server determines
whether the UE has a privilege to access the local service,
according to the identifier of the local service as follows:
the local service access control server refers to preconfigured
local service related information, and determines whether a local
service server corresponding to the identifier of the local service
needs to control an access of any UE; and
when the local service server corresponding to the identifier of
the local service does not need to control an access of any UE, the
local service access control server determines that the UE has a
privilege to access the local service.
Here, the preconfigured local service related information can be as
depicted in Table 1 above.
Preferably, the local service access control server further
determines whether the UE has a privilege to access the local
service, according to the identifier of the local service as
follows:
when the local service server corresponding to the identifier of
the local service needs to control an access of any UE, the local
service access control server refers to a list, of UEs allowed to
access the local service, corresponding to the local service server
in the preconfigured information, and when the identifier of the UE
exists in the list of UEs allowed to access the local service, the
local service access control server determines that the UE has a
privilege to access the local service.
Preferably, when it is determined that the UE has a privilege to
access the local service, the feedback message includes the IP
address of the local service server corresponding to the local
service; and
when it is determined that the UE has no privilege to access the
local service, the feedback message includes information indicating
that the UE fails to request an access of the local service.
Preferably, the local service access control server transmits the
corresponding feedback message to the UE as follows:
the local service access control server transmits the feedback
message to an MEC server, and the MEC server forwards the feedback
message to the UE.
Apparatuses corresponding to the service access method and the
service access control method above will be introduced below.
Referring to FIG. 7, a service access apparatus at the UE side
according to an embodiment of the invention includes:
a first unit 61 is configured to determine a local service to be
accessed; and
a second unit 62 is configured to transmit a local service access
request message to a local service access control server, so that
the local service access control server determines whether the UE
has a privilege to access the local service, where the local
service access request message carries the identifier of the local
service.
Preferably, the local service access request message further
carries the identifier of the UE.
Preferably, the second unit 62 is configured:
to transmit the local service access request message to a Mobile
Edge Computing (MEC) server, so that the MEC server transmits the
local service access request message of the UE to the local service
access control server.
Preferably, after the local service access request message is
transmitted to the local service access control server, the second
unit 62 is further configured to receive a feedback message
transmitted by the local service access control server; and
when the UE has a privilege to access the local service, the
feedback message includes the IP address of a local service server
corresponding to the local service, or
when the UE has no privilege to access the local service, the
feedback message includes information indicating that the UE fails
to request an access of the local service.
Preferably, the second unit 62 is further configured:
when the received feedback message includes the IP address of the
local service server corresponding to the local service, to access
the local service according to the IP address of the local service
server.
Referring to FIG. 8, a service access control apparatus at the MEC
server side according to an embodiment of the invention
includes:
a second receiving unit 71 is configured to receive a data message
transmitted by a User Equipment (UE) to access a local service, and
to obtain a destination IP address carried in the request message
to access the local service; and
a second determining unit 72 is configured to transmit the data
message to a local service access control server upon determining
that the destination IP address is the IP address of the local
service access control server, so that the local service access
control server determines whether the UE has a privilege to access
the local service.
Preferably, after the data message is transmitted to the local
service access control server, the second determining unit 72 is
further configured:
to receive a data message transmitted by the local service access
control server to be fed back to the UE; and
to determine whether the UE has a privilege to access the local
service, according to the data message to be fed back to the UE,
and to record a correspondence relationship between IP address
information of a local service server corresponding to the local
service, and IP address information of the UE, and to transmit the
data message, to be fed back to the UE, to the UE, upon determining
that the UE has a privilege to access the local service.
Preferably, when the UE has a privilege to access the local
service, the data message to be fed back to the UE includes the IP
address of the local service server corresponding to the local
service; or when the UE has no privilege to access the local
service, the data message to be fed back to the UE includes
information indicating that the UE fails to request an access of
the local service.
Preferably, the second determining unit 72 is further
configured:
when the destination IP address carried in the data message,
transmitted by the UE to access the local service, received by the
second receiving unit 71 is the IP address of the local service
access control server, to determine whether the UE has passed
access control by the local service server, and to perform
corresponding processing on the data message transmitted by the UE
to access the local service.
Preferably, the second determining unit 72 is configured to
determine whether the UE has passed access control by the local
service server, and to perform corresponding processing on the data
message transmitted by the UE to access the local service by:
determining whether there is a pre-stored correspondence
relationship between the IP address of the local service server,
and the IP address of the UE, and if there is a pre-stored
correspondence relationship between the IP address of the local
service server, and the IP address of the UE, determining that the
UE has passed access control by the local service server, and
transmitting the data message, transmitted by the UE to access the
local service, to the local service server; otherwise, discarding
the data message transmitted by the UE to access the local
service.
Referring to FIG. 9, a service access control apparatus according
to an embodiment of the invention at the local service access
control server side includes:
a first receiving unit 81 is configured to receive a local service
access request message of a User Equipment (UE), where the local
service access request message carries the identifier of a local
service; and
a first determining unit 82 is configured to determine whether the
UE has a privilege to access the local service, according to the
identifier of the local service, and to transmit a corresponding
feedback message to the UE.
Preferably, the first receiving unit 81 is configured:
to receive the local service access request message of the UE
forwarded by a Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) server.
Preferably, the first determining unit is configured to determine
whether the UE has a privilege to access the local service,
according to the identifier of the local service by:
referring to preconfigured local service related information, to
determine whether a local service server corresponding to the
identifier of the local service needs to control an access of any
UE; and
when the local service server corresponding to the identifier of
the local service does not need to control an access of any UE,
determining that the UE has a privilege to access the local
service.
Preferably, the first determining unit is configured to determine
whether the UE has a privilege to access the local service,
according to the identifier of the local service by:
when the local service server corresponding to the identifier of
the local service needs to control an access of any UE, to refer to
a list, of UEs allowed to access the local service, corresponding
to the local service server in the preconfigured information, and
when the identifier of the UE exists in the list of UEs allowed to
access the local service, to determine that the UE has a privilege
to access the local service.
Preferably, when the first determining unit 82 determines that the
UE has a privilege to access the local service, the feedback
message includes the IP address of the local service server
corresponding to the local service; and
when the first determining unit determines that the UE has no
privilege to access the local service, the feedback message
includes information indicating that the UE fails to request an
access of the local service.
Preferably, the first determining unit 82 is configured to transmit
the corresponding feedback message to the UE by:
transmitting the feedback message to an MEC server, so that the MEC
server forwards the feedback message to the UE.
The respective functional units in the embodiments of the invention
can be embodied as particular hardware processors, or other
physical devices.
Those skilled in the art shall appreciate that the embodiments of
the invention can be embodied as a method, a system or a computer
program product. Therefore the invention can be embodied in the
form of an all-hardware embodiment, an all-software embodiment or
an embodiment of software and hardware in combination. Furthermore
the invention can be embodied in the form of a computer program
product embodied in one or more computer useable storage mediums
(including but not limited to a disk memory, an optical memory,
etc.) in which computer useable program codes are contained.
The invention has been described in a flow chart and/or a block
diagram of the method, the device (system) and the computer program
product according to the embodiments of the invention. It shall be
appreciated that respective flows and/or blocks in the flow chart
and/or the block diagram and combinations of the flows and/or the
blocks in the flow chart and/or the block diagram can be embodied
in computer program instructions. These computer program
instructions can be loaded onto a general-purpose computer, a
specific-purpose computer, an embedded processor or a processor of
another programmable data processing device to produce a machine so
that the instructions executed on the computer or the processor of
the other programmable data processing device create means for
performing the functions specified in the flow(s) of the flow chart
and/or the block(s) of the block diagram.
These computer program instructions can also be stored into a
computer readable memory capable of directing the computer or the
other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific
manner so that the instructions stored in the computer readable
memory create an article of manufacture including instruction means
which perform the functions specified in the flow(s) of the flow
chart and/or the block(s) of the block diagram.
These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto the
computer or the other programmable data processing device so that a
series of operational steps are performed on the computer or the
other programmable data processing device to create a computer
implemented process so that the instructions executed on the
computer or the other programmable device provide steps for
performing the functions specified in the flow(s) of the flow chart
and/or the block(s) of the block diagram.
Evidently those skilled in the art can make various modifications
and variations to the invention without departing from the spirit
and scope of the invention. Thus the invention is also intended to
encompass these modifications and variations thereto so long as the
modifications and variations come into the scope of the claims
appended to the invention and their equivalents.
* * * * *